Shipping carton for motion picture film



Sept. 6, 1938. w. w. CROUCH Err AL SHIPPING CARTON FOR MOTION PICTURE FILM Filed Dec. 19, 1936 v Sm .s mam m .Lz d 6% w 4 W W e W M M Z Y J 5% ii w 4 flazv mflufl Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES SHIPPING CARTON FOR MOTION PICTURE Wentworth W. Crouch and Alfred I. Hess, Rochester, N. Y.,

assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 19, 1936, Serial No. 116,776

8 Claims.

This invention relates to packaging, and particularly to a collapsible shipping carton which is adapted to receive articles of different sizes in such a way that they are supported against shifting within the carton.

Users of 8 mm. motion picture film receive the unexposed film in 16 mm. widths, commonly known as 16 mm. film, and after exposing the same, send it back to the manufacturer for processing. After processing the film strip is split lengthwise, so that a film strip half the width and twice the length has to be returned to the owner. The unexposed film as it goes on the market is placed in small metal containers, known as pill boxes, which are of a size to accommodate a film 16 mm. in width and twentyfive feet long; These "pill boxes are placed in shipping cartons which are suitably marked so that the user, after exposing thefilm, can return the pill box and its film to the manufacturer for processing. After the film has beenprocessed;

and split to 8 mm. size, it is wound on an 8 mm. reel which hasa capacity of 'fiftyfeet, and is returned to the 'owner. essed film differs in width and diameter from the "pill box, it has'been, up to the present time, found necessary to use separate shipping containers'for the two, or to provide a shipping container wide enoughto accommodate a fifty foot 8 mm. reel, and thick enough to accommodate the "pill box", wherewith'corrugated pads, or the like'were required to prevent the reel or "pill box from shifting, in the carton during shipment. I

Therefore, one object of our invention is to provide a shipping container which is adapted to receive articles of different widths and thickness and support the same against shifting therein.

Another object is to provide a carton of this type which is collapsible.

And still another object is to provide a carton of this type which is simple, inexpensive, and can be stamped from a single blank of material.

The novel features that we consider characteristic of our invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. l is a perspective view of our novel carton in assembled condition, looking through the open bottom.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of our novel shipping carton showing a pill box of 16 mm. film inserted therein,

Since the reel of proc with a 50 ft. reel of 8 mm. film inserted therein, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a piece of cardboard which is cut and scored to produce a blank from which our novel carton is formed.

Like reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawing.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the blank H is made in a single piece by cutting or stamping it by a suitable die from paper stock, cardboard, .or any other suitable material. Said blank has cuts or incisions ac; and is creased or scored, as indicated by the dotted lines. The blank consists of the rear wall In to the sides of which are foldably attached sections I I and I2 which constitute the end walls in the assembled carton. Section l3 which has the same dimensions as section I0, constitutes the front wall of the carton when folded inwardly on the score line b, and is spaced from the rear wall by the end walls H and I2. Score lines 0 and d define a spacing member I4 which serves to space the partition l5 from the front wall I3 when the partition is folded inwardly theretowards. The other edge of the partition I5 is scored as at e to provide a second spacing member I6, equal in width to spacing member l4, which is adapted to be folded inwardly to engage the front wall i3 and assist the spacing member H to holding the partition IS in spaced parallel relation with respect to the front wall. In order to provide a means for spacing the partition 15 from the rear wall lffl of the carton, tab H is cut from the partition l5. It will be noticed that the score line e does not extend'across the tab I'I, so that as the spacing member I6 is folded inwardly on said score line e the tab l'l will rotate rearwardly; and will, when the box is assembled, engage the rear wall Hi to space the partition I5 therefrom.

The dimension of the rear wall M, the front wall l3, and the partition ii are such as to provide a carton wide enough to receive a fifty foot reel R of 8 mm. film, as shown in Fig. 3. In order to accommodate a "pill box P which has a thickness approximately twice that of the reel R, but whose diameter is considerably less since it contains but 25 feet of 16 mm. film, the partition I5 is cut out as shown at l8, said out out portion l8 being wide enough and deep enough to allow the pill box to be slipped into the carton. The size of the cut out I8 is enough smaller than the partition l5 so as to leave supporting surfaces IS on either side of the cut out I8, and a supporting surface 20 at the bottom thereof. Referring to Fig. 2, it can be observed that when the pill box P is in position in the carton it is supported against shifting in the carton by the edges of the partitions l9 and 20, while when the reel R is inserted in the carton, see Fig. 3, the faces of the supporting surfaces I! and 20 support it to prevent it from shifting in the carton.

The blank H is scored as at f and a, to provide tongues 2| and 22 which are adapted to fold to ward one another when the carton is assembled to form a double bottom in conjunction with section 23 when the flap 24 is inserted behind the front wall I3, see Fig. 2. The score lines It and k, on the blank H, provide tongues 25 and 26 which are adapted to fold inwardly toward one another to be held down by section 21, which forms the top of the carton, when flap 28 is inserted behind the front wall I 3.

The steps in assembling the shipping carton from the blank H will now be described. Starting at the extreme right hand side of the blank H, spacing member I6 is folded inwardly on line e, thus causing the tab I! to be rotated rearwardly. The partition I5 is then folded on line d and spacing member I4 is folded on line 0 whereupon the partition I5 is brought into parallel relation with the front wall I3, being spaced therefrom by spacing members I4 and IS. The combined front wall I3 and the partition I5 is then folded on lines b and n whereupon the tab II will be brought into contact with the rear wall Ill adjacent the score line 11 and the partition I5 will be spaced from the rear wall I0 thereby, see Fig. 1.-- The end wall II is folded inwardly on line 112, until it engages the outside face of spacing member I 4, see Fig. 1 and the assembled carton is fastened at this point by means of glue or any other suitable fastening means. For purposes of illustration only, we have shown end wall I I provided with a glued surface 30 which will contact the outside face of spacing member [4, and will only need moistening to effect the joining of the top parts. After the carton has been assembled as described, the bottom is closed by folding tongues 2| and 22 toward one another, and inserting flap 24 behind the front wall I3.

Referring now to Fig. 2 we have shown the pill box P inserted in the assembled carton for shipping purposes. It will be observed that the width of the "pill box P is substantially the same as the thickness of the carton so that no lateral shifting of the pill box is involved. The pill box is prevented from shifting sideways or up and down in the carton by virtue of the edges of the supporting surfaces I9 and 20 on partition I5 which engage it at the sides and bottom. The top of the box is closed by folding tongues 25 and 26 inwardly after which the flap 28 is inserted behind the front wall lit.

The carton is made a width which is equal to diameter of the film reel R so that when the reel R is inserted in the carton, as shown in Fig. 3, no endwise movement of the reel is involved. Since the reel R is approximately only one-half as wide as the pill box P, the edges and bottom of the reel are supported between the faces of the supporting surfaces I9 and 20 of the partition I5 and either the front wall I3 or the rear wall Ill depending upon which side of the partition I5 the reel R is inserted into carton. Thus it will be understood that by providing the carton with a partition i 5, constructed, as shown and described, a carton is provided into which articles of different dimensions may be inserted in such a way that they are each supported against shifting within the carton. Although we have described a carton wherein the partition I5 is definitely formed and spaced between the front and rear walls I3 and I 0 so as to accommodate a "pill box P and reel B, it will be readily understood that the form of the partition I 5 and the dimensions of the spacing members I4, I6 and I! therefore can be varied to accommodate any number of diiferentshaped and sized articles without deviating from the scope of our invention.

It will be readily understood from the above specification that a shipping carton constructed along the lines of the one described serves the same purpose as two separate cartons, thus proving itself to be very economical and convenient. And although the carton has been shown as being formed from a single blank of material, it is to be understood that the carton can be formed of any number of individual pieces without deviating from the spirit of our invention. It is also conceivable that the partition l5 instead of being integral with the carton, could be separate so as to be inserted in the assembled carton without going beyond the scope of our invention.

Although we have shown and described certain specific embodiments of our invention, we are aware that many modifications of the same are possible. Our invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we declare is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A carton comprising front and rear walls, end walls holding said front and rear walls in spaced parallel relation, a bottom, a removable top for said carton hinged to one of said walls, a partition, having dimensions substantially the same as the front and rear walls, extending from end wall to end wall and being spaced intermediate the front and rear walls to divide the carton into two compartments, said partition provided with a cutout portion extending from the top edge thereof and being of a size whereby supporting surfaces are left at the edges and at the bottom of the partition which are adapted to alternatively support a single film container in the two compartments of the carton and a film holder in one compartment only.

2. A carton comprising front and rear walls, end walls spacing the front and rear walls from one another, flaps attached to the top and bottom of the rear walls, said flaps being scored so as to form the top and bottom walls of the carton when the ends thereof are inserted behind the front wall, a partition in the carton in spaced parallel relation with respect to the front and rear walls, and extending from one end wall to the other to divide the carton into two compartments, said partition provided with a cut out portion extending from the top edge thereof, the dimensions of said out out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the side edges and bottom of the partition which are adapted to alternatively support a single film container in the two compartments of the carton and a film holder in one compartment only.

3. A collapsible carton comprising front and rear walls, end walls spacing the front and rear walls from one another and attached thereto, flaps attached to the top and bottom of the rear wall, said flaps being scored so as to form the top and bottom of the carton when the ends thereof are inserted behind the front wall, a partition attached to one edge of and spaced from the front wall by a spacing wall, the width of said spacing wall being less than the width of the end wall whereby the partition is located in parallel spaced relation with respect to the front and rear walls of the carton to form two compartments therein, said partition having, a cut out portion extending from its upper edge, the dimension of said out out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the sides and bottom of the partition which are adapted to alternatively support a single film container in the two compartments of the carton and a film holder in one compartment only.

4. A collapsible carton formed from a single blank comprising a rear wall, end walls attached to said rear wall, a front wall attached to one of said end walls and adapted to be spaced from the rear wall by said end walls, a pair of flaps attached to the top and bottom edges of the rear wall, said flapsbeing scored so as to form' the top and bottom of the carton when the ends thereof are inserted behind the top and bottom edges of the front wall, a spacing member foldably attached to one edge of the front wall and being of a width less than that of the end walls, a partition foldably attached to the spacing member and adapted to be located between-the front and rear walls of the carton thereby, a second spacing member attached to the free edge of the partition and adapted to assist the first spacing member in locating the partition between the front and rear walls in parallel relation thereto to form two compartments in the carton, said partition having a cutout portion extending from its top edge, the dimensions of said cut out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the edges and bottom of said partition which are adapted to alternatively support a single film container in the two compartments of the carton and a film holder in one compartment only.

5. A collapsible carton, formed from a single blank, comprising a rear wall, two end walls attached thereto, a front wall attached to one of said end walls and adapted to be spaced from the rear wall by both end walls when the carton is assembled, a pair of scored flaps attached to the top and bottom edge of the rear wall to form a top and bottom for the carton when the ends thereof are inserted behind the top and bottom edges of the front wall, a spacing member foldably attached to one edge of the front wall and being of a width less than that of the end walls, a partition foldably attached to the spacing member and adapted to be positioned between the front and rear walls of the carton thereby, a second spacing member attached to the free edge of the partition adapted to engage the front wall when the partition is folded inwardly upon the front wall whereby the partition is spaced from the front wall thereby spacing means integral with the partition adapted to engage the rear wall of the carton to space the partition therefrom to form two compartments in the carton, said partition provided with a cut out portion extending from the top edge thereof, the dimensions of said cut out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the edges and bottom of the partition which are adapted to alternatively support a single film container in the two compartments of the carton and a film holder in one compartment only.

6. A collapsible carton, formed from a single blank, comprising a rear wall, two end walls attached thereto, a front wall attached to one of said end walls and adapted to be spaced from the rear wall by both end walls when the carton is assembled, a pair of scored flaps attached to the top and bottom edges of the rear wall to form a top and bottom for the carton when the ends thereof are inserted behind the top and bottom edges of the front wall, a spacing member foldably attached to one edge of the front wall and being of a width less than that of the end walls, a partition foldably attached to the spacing member and adapted to be positioned between the front and rear walls of the carton thereby, a second spacing member attached to the free edge of the partition adapted to engage the front wall when the partition is folded inwardly upon the front wall whereby the partition is spaced from the front wall thereby, a tab cut from the partition but left attached to the second spacing member whereby the tab is swung to engage the rear wall of the container when the carton is assembled to space the partition therefrom to form two compartments in the carton, said partition provided with a cut out portion extending from the top edge thereof, the dimensions of said out out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the edges and bottom of the partition which are adapted to alternatively support a single film container in the two compartments of the carton and a film holder in one compartment only.

7. A film shipping carton adapted to receive a pill box or a return reel of film having different dimensions, comprising a front wall, a rear wall, two end walls spacing the front and rear walls in parallel relation to receive the pill box, scored flaps foldably attached to the top and bottom of one of said walls for forming the top and bottom of the carton, a partition in said carton spaced from the front and rear walls thereof and adapted to divide the interior of the carton into two compartments each of which is of a size to receive the return reel, said partition provided with a cut out portion extending from the top edge thereof for receiving the pill box, the dimension of said cut out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the edges and bottom of the partition which are adapted to alternatively support the return reel in one compartment and the pill box in both compartments.

8. A film shipping carton adapted to receive and support either a pill box or a return reel of film having different dimensions, comprising a rear wall, two end walls attached thereto, a front wall attached to one of said end walls and adapted to be spaced from the rear wall by both end walls when the carton is assembled, a pair of scored flaps attached to the top and bottom edges of the rear wall to form a top and bottom for the carton when the ends thereof are inserted behind the top and bottom edges of the front wall, a spacing member attached at one edge to the front wall and being of a width equal to that of the return reel but less than the width of the end wall, a partition attached at one side edge to the spacing member, and adapted to be positioned between the front and rear walls thereby, a second spacing member attached to the free side edge of the partition adapted to engage the front wall when the partition is folded inwardly upon the front wall whereby the partition is spaced from the front wall thereby, said partition provided with a cut out portion extending from the top edge thereof for receiving the pill box, the dimensions of said out out portion being such that supporting surfaces remain at the edges and bottom of the partition for supporting the pill box or the return reel.

WENTWORTH W. CROUCH. ALFRED I. HESS. 

